US laughs at the powers of the UN

We must all ensure it doesn't become a joke

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Feature story - 26 March, 2003

"Frustrated with the United Nations' consistent, blatant regard for the will of its 188 member nations, the US announced Monday the formation of its own international governing body, the USUN." Some would merely laugh off this satirical story in America's Finest News Source, The Onion. But as the Arab League calls for an emergency session of the United Nations General Assembly to halt the illegal, unilateral war on Iraq we must ask, is it really just a laugh?

Greenpeace activists stage action in front of Hong Kong Legislative Council, calling on the government not to be complicit in the illegal war on Iraq

The US, UK and Spain refused to get the backing of the UN
Security Council for a war on Iraq saying that France would clog up
the system with its veto. But now that the Security Council will
vote on a resolution calling for a ceasefire and to condemn the war
on Iraq, it seems certain that the US and UK will use their veto to
block the resolution.

Walking all over international treaties like sand in the
dessert, the US is ignoring one of the founding principles of the
United Nations. UN Charter Article 51 gives states a sovereign
right to start military action in self-defense only if they have
suffered an armed attack. There is no basis in international law
for the use of force as a preventive measure when there has been no
actual or imminent attack.

As a next step the Arab League can call for an emergency session
of the UN General Assembly invoked under UN Resolution 377, known
as Uniting for Peace.

Resolution 377 can be called either by a majority of the members
of the UN Security Council, or by a majority of the General
Assembly. It has been invoked 10 times in the last 50 years, when
the Security Council, due to a 'lack of unanimity' among the
permanent members, is unable to perform its primary task of
maintaining international peace and security.

It's time that the US and UK governments are confronted by the
breadth and depth of global opposition to this illegal war. If a
resolution is tabled, an overwhelming majority of UN member states
will support it, reflecting both a desire to respect international
law as well as the overwhelming global public opposition to US
unilateralism and to the loss of life in Iraq.

There are already reports that the US and the UK have been
threatening countries with reprisals if they invoke 'Uniting for
Peace'. But we must all take a stand together against a new world
order dictated by the US, and use every legal instrument available
within the UN system to stop the war.

Otherwise, we won't be laughing much longer when the US says "I
can't tell you how much easier it is to achieve consensus when you
don't have to worry about dissent."